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Mandarin Describing People — 描述

Eighth graders learn to describe people in Mandarin — 高 (gāo - tall), 漂亮 (piàoliang - pretty), 友好 (yǒuhǎo - friendly), 聪明 (cōngmíng - smart) — and sort words into appearance and personality.

Grade 8Miáoshù50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Describe people.
  • ✓Tell looks from character.
  • ✓Sort the words.
  • ✓Describe a friend.
Essential Question

How would you describe a friend? Mandarin has words for looks and for character. Which describe appearance, and which personality?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Appearance or Personality?

Project this and sort each word into 外貌 (wàimào - appearance) or 性格 (xìnggé - personality).

👤 Sort each — appearance or personality?Try it
👤 外貌 (appearance)
💟 性格 (personality)
Tap a word, then tap a box.
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Describe a Friend

5 min

Mandarin has words for looks and for character — which is which?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Describe a friend.
  • Ask how to say it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Miáoshù

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present the words.
  • Say the pinyin.
  • Note looks vs character.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Sort Them

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Appearance or Personality?
  • Sort each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

12 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Describe a classmate.
  • Say “他很…”
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Describe.
  • Say it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a describing word.
  • Say what it means.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice-High).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand describing words.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: describe people.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare describing words.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to description.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Describing picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “他很 ___.”
  • Use portraits.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with 高 and 友好.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add 勇敢 (brave).
  • Describe a family member.
  • Write a description.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 👤Describing cards
  • 💻Appearance or Personality?
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

描述 (miáoshù)to describe高 (gāo)tall矮 (ǎi)short漂亮 (piàoliang)pretty帅 (shuài)handsome友好 (yǒuhǎo)friendly聪明 (cōngmíng)smart性格 (xìnggé)personality
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does “高 (gāo)” mean?
Tall.
QUESTION 2
Does “聪明 (cōngmíng - smart)” describe appearance or personality?
Personality.
QUESTION 3
What does “友好 (yǒuhǎo)” mean?
Friendly.

Reflect: 描述.

Have students describe a friend in Mandarin with two words (one look, one character — like 高 and 友好). A printable describing sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Mandarin Describing People (Miáoshù)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Mandarin Describing People (Miáoshù)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Mandarin Describing People (Miáoshù)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: 友好 (yǒuhǎo), 帅 (shuài), 性格 (xìnggé), 描述 (miáoshù), 漂亮 (piàoliang), 矮 (ǎi), 聪明 (cōngmíng), 高 (gāo)
  1. pretty
  2. handsome
  3. tall
  4. short
  5. friendly
  6. to describe
  7. smart
  8. personality

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “高 (gāo)” mean?
  2. Does “聪明 (cōngmíng - smart)” describe appearance or personality?
  3. What does “友好 (yǒuhǎo)” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) 漂亮 (piàoliang) · 2) 帅 (shuài) · 3) 高 (gāo) · 4) 矮 (ǎi) · 5) 友好 (yǒuhǎo) · 6) 描述 (miáoshù) · 7) 聪明 (cōngmíng) · 8) 性格 (xìnggé)
Part B: 1) Tall. 2) Personality. 3) Friendly.